We have been working hard behind the scenes, and today we are excited to share everything that landed in the Smart COD Control v1.3 release cycle. This is the biggest update to the plugin since launch — two flagship features, a redesigned admin experience, and a stack of smaller improvements under the hood.

What Is Smart COD Control?

Smart COD Control is a WooCommerce plugin that gives store owners complete control over when Cash on Delivery is available at checkout. Hide COD by cart value, shipping zone, product category, customer history, and more — all without writing any code. It also includes fraud prevention tools to reduce fake orders and RTO rates.

New in v1.3.0: Visual Rule Builder

Before v1.3, setting COD rules required navigating separate settings panels for each condition type. The new Visual Rule Builder brings everything into one unified drag-and-drop interface.

Key capabilities:

• Create rule groups with multiple conditions
• AND logic within a group, OR logic between groups
• Filter by cart total, product, category, shipping zone, state, user role, coupon, and order history
• One-click pre-built rule templates for the most common use cases
• Rules activate instantly — no cache flush needed

New in v1.3.1: OTP Phone Verification

Fake COD orders are a significant cost center for stores in emerging markets. A customer who never intended to accept delivery places an order impulsively, you ship the product, and it comes back at your expense. OTP verification addresses this at the source.

When enabled, customers selecting Cash on Delivery must verify their phone number with a one-time SMS code before the order is placed. No code — no order. The friction is minimal for genuine buyers but effectively eliminates throwaway orders.

Supported SMS providers:

• Twilio — global coverage, straightforward setup with Account SID and Auth Token
• Vonage — competitive rates in South Asia and the Middle East, alphanumeric sender IDs

Enhanced Blacklisting and Approval Workflow

The blacklist system has been upgraded with a new admin approval workflow. Flag customers as requiring manual review — their COD orders go into a pending queue that your team approves or rejects before processing. This is ideal for stores with VIP or high-risk order tiers.

Fraud Analytics and Heatmap

The analytics tab now includes a geographic view of COD order activity. Spot regions with elevated cancellation rates at a glance and feed that data back into your Rule Builder to tighten restrictions exactly where they are needed.

Full Changelog

v1.3.1

• Added: OTP phone verification at checkout for COD orders
• Added: Twilio SMS integration
• Added: Vonage SMS integration
• Added: Customisable OTP message template
• Fixed: Rule Builder condition ordering edge case on save

v1.3.0

• Added: Visual Rule Builder with AND/OR logic
• Added: Pre-built rule templates
• Added: Drag-and-drop rule group reordering
• Improved: Admin UI redesign for COD settings

v1.2.0

• Added: Admin approval / blacklist workflow
• Added: Fraud analytics dashboard
• Improved: Performance on high-traffic stores

How to Update

Update via WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Updates. All existing settings are migrated automatically — no reconfiguration needed. After updating, visit the new Rule Builder tab to explore the interface, and the OTP Settings tab to enable phone verification.

Questions or feedback? Reach us through the support page — we read every message.

Cash on Delivery is one of the most popular payment methods in South Asia, the Middle East, and many emerging markets — but it comes with a catch: unverified orders, high cancellation rates, and fraud. Until now, controlling when COD is shown has required custom code or a patchwork of plugins.

Smart COD Control v1.3 changes that with a brand-new Visual Rule Builder — a point-and-click interface for building precise COD availability rules without touching a single line of PHP.

What Is the Visual Rule Builder?

The Visual Rule Builder is an admin panel that lets you create rule groups. Each group contains one or more conditions. Within a group, conditions are joined with AND logic (all must match). Between groups, logic is OR (any group can enable COD). This mirrors how professional rule engines work and gives you near-infinite flexibility.

What Can You Filter By?

• Cart total — e.g., disable COD for orders above ₹5,000
• Shipping zone / state / city — block COD for specific regions or pin codes
• Product or category — hide COD for fragile, perishable, or high-value items
• Customer order history — restrict COD for customers with previous cancellations
• User role — enable COD only for verified wholesale buyers
• Coupon applied — hide COD when a discount coupon is active

How to Build Your First Rule

1. Navigate to WooCommerce → Smart COD Control → Rule Builder.
2. Click Add Rule Group.
3. Inside the group, click Add Condition and choose a condition type from the dropdown (e.g., Cart Total).
4. Set the operator (is greater than) and value (5000).
5. Add more conditions to the same group to AND them together, or add a new group to OR with the first.
6. Set the group action to Hide COD or Show COD.
7. Save. Rules take effect instantly at checkout — no cache clearing needed.

Pre-Built Templates

Not sure where to start? Smart COD Control ships with ready-made rule templates:

• Disable COD for high-value carts
• Enable COD only for specific states
• Hide COD for repeat cancellers

One click loads the template; you tweak the values to fit your store.

AND / OR Logic Explained

Think of it like a spreadsheet filter. If you need COD hidden when cart total > 5000 AND state is Maharashtra, put both conditions in the same group. If you want it hidden when cart total > 5000 OR product is fragile, put each in its own group.

Upgrade to v1.3 Today

The Visual Rule Builder is available in Smart COD Control v1.3.0 and above. Update via your WordPress dashboard or download the latest version from your account. No configuration migration needed — existing simple block/allow settings are preserved.